Baigiamajame darbe tiriama grynų ir mišrių maumedynų našumas ir paplitimas Lietuvoje (pagal Lietuvos miškų kadastro elektroninę duomenų bazę, 2010). Darbo objektas – Lietuvos miškuose augantys maumedžiai bei gryni ir mišrūs maumedynai (pagal Lietuvos miškų kadastro elektroninę duomenų bazę, 2010). Darbo tikslas – ištirti svetimkraštės medžių rūšies maumedžio bendrijų našumą, paplitimą, taksacinius ypatumus ir juos palyginti su kitų Lietuvos spygliuočių medžių rūšių (paprastosios pušies ir paprastosios eglės) medynų parametrais. Darbo metodai – monografinis, dokumentų ir taksacinių normatyvų analizės bei taikomosios statistikos metodai. Darbo rezultatai. Atlikus maumedynų tyrimus nustatyta, kad gryni ir mišrūs maumedynai Lietuvoje užima 748,8 ha plotą. Turime 727 miško sklypų su grynais ir mišriais maumedynais. Bendras miškų, kuriuose auga maumedžiai, plotas lygus 2337,7 ha. Miškininkai neįvardina maumedynų rūšies tikslumu (kaip ir Lietuvos beržynų, kuriuos sudaryti gali karpotojo beržo arba plaukuotojo beržo medžiai). Lietuvoje dominuoja Europinio maumedžio medynai. Visi Lietuvos maumedynai kultūrinės kilmės. Jau 50 metų amžiuje (Ld augavietėje) maumedynai pasiekia 380 m3/ha, o brandžiuose ir perbrendusiuose maumedynuose tūris siekia net 800 – 1300 m3/ha. Maumedžiai Lietuvos miškuose pasiekia rekordinį 40 – 45 m aukštį, o savo gimtajame areale - net 55 m aukštį. Lietuvos teritorijoje dominuoja jauni maumedžio miškai (Lietuvos maumedynų vidutinis amžius 36 metai). Bendras... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / In master's thesis were investigated Lithuanian Larch stands and their productivity. Object of the research work – Larch forests in Lithuania. The aim of the work – is to determine Larch prevalence in Lithuanian state and private forests. Analyze the estimation of forest parameters and compare with local coniferous tree species (Scots Pine and Norway Spruce) stands that grow in similar conditions. Methods of the research work - documents analysis, electronics database analysis The results of the work. Analysis showed that in Lithuania Larch stands occupies 748,8 ha. Best performance was in Ld forest site at age of 50 Larch stand reaches average 380 m3/ha stand volume. Old Larch Stands reach 1300 m3/ha.

No description available.

In high density magnetic hard disk drives, both fast track seeking and extremely accurate positioning of the read/write head are required. A new piezoelectric microactuator with transverse and lateral control of the head positioning system for high density hard disk drives is proposed. First, the structure of the new piezoelectric microactuator is illustrated. Design of the new microactuator is based on the axial deformation of piezoelectric elements for lateral motion and the bimorph actuation of piezoelectric elements for transverse motion. Next, a mathematical model of the microactuator system is defined. Static properties associated with the displacement of the system are evaluated and then dynamic system equations of the system are evaluated. Frequency response of the system is studied based on the dynamic system equations of the actuator system. Dynamic properties of the system with a variety of system parameters are evaluated. Finally, the controller design for the actuator is presented. Simulation results show that the new actuator achieves a maximum stroke of displacement of more than 0.2m with servo bandwidth of more than 5 kHz in the lateral direction and the flying height is decreased to less than 6 nm with resonance frequency of more than 100 kHz under the 0.5 % damping assumption. The new piezoelectric microactuator improves performance of high density hard disk drives by increasing servo bandwidth and decreasing flying height.

The goal of this study was to evaluate several sustainable turf maintenance techniques for their potential to increase beneficial insect populations, which could then provide ecosystem services including pest suppression and pollination. The three techniques in question were 1) raising mowing height in commercial and residential lawns, 2) establishing naturalized roughs on golf courses, and 3) creating pollinator refuges on golf courses through the program Operation Pollinator. We found that raising mowing heights did increase populations of some predators such as spiders and staphylinids, but did not increase predation, which was ubiquitously high because ant populations were unaffected by mowing height. In addition, we found that pests reared in high-mowed grass were less likely to survive and gained weight more slowly than when raised in low-mowed grass. On golf courses, we found that naturalized roughs and traditional roughs supported different populations of predators, but contrary to our original hypothesis, naturalized roughs had little impact on biological control on the rest of the golf course. Operation Pollinator was successful in supporting 49 species of pollinators, including rare and declining bumble bees, demonstrating that turf systems can provide valuable pollinator conservation services, especially in urban systems where pollinator habitats are already rare.

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are among the leading causes of death in the United States. The Metabolic Syndrome, which comprises a cluster of cardiometabolic risk factors, puts individuals at increased risk for these diseases. It is therefore important that people with Metabolic Syndrome, at high risk for CVD and type 2 diabetes, are identified and treated. Since it may not often be practical to obtain the laboratory measures necessary for diagnosing the Metabolic Syndrome, simple anthropometric measures are a useful way of quickly identifying individuals at increased risk for the Metabolic Syndrome. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the utility of three of the most commonly used anthropometric measures – Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist Circumference (WC), and Waist-to-Height Ratio (WC) – for classifying individuals with and without the Metabolic Syndrome and its component risk factors in the United States. Using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and Area Under the Curve (AUC) statistics, this thesis will assess the utility of each body measurement and compare it to BMI. METHODS: A large, multi-ethnic, nationally representative sample from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007-2010 was used for this analysis. The study sample was restricted to adults aged 20-65 with complete information on height, weight, waist circumference, blood pressure, HDL cholesterol, fasting glucose, and triglycerides (n=3,769). In order to compare the utility of different anthropometric measures for classification, weighted ROC curves were constructed for each anthropometric measure-outcome combination and AUC statistics were compared. AUC statistics were calculated by approximating the definite integral of the ROC curves with the trapezoidal rule. Variances for AUC statistics and differences in AUC statistics were estimated with jackknife repeated replication. Analyses were completed for the entire sample and separately for non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks, and Mexican Americans. RESULTS: For the entire sample, WC (AUC=0.752) did a better job than BMI (AUC=0.728) at classifying individuals with and without the Metabolic Syndrome (p CONCLUSION: Waist circumference should be considered, especially over BMI, for risk stratification in clinical settings and research. Further research should attempt to identify optimum waist circumference cut points for use in the US population.

Changed management of semi-natural grasslands is thought to be one important factor for explaining the decline of butterfly populations in Sweden and the rest of Europe. This study explores how vegetation height, variation in vegetation height and flower abundance can help predict the occurrence of butterfly species in semi-natural grasslands in southern Sweden. My study is based on data collected by a national environmental monitoring programme (NILS) during 2006-2010. Generalized linear models showed that all three explanatory variables significantly affected 26 of the 41 species of butterflies studied. The study also investigated preferences for three different systems for grouping species but did not find differences among groups. Several of the species would most likely benefit from variation in grazing pressure or rotational grazing as well as flower-rich grasslands. The results may also help when aiming management at the preservation of individual species.

Establishing a causal relationship between health and productivity is not straightforward. On one hand, higher income individuals invest more in health: as their income grows, they invest in better diets and health care. On the other, if a worker is healthier and more energetic, then she will probably be more productive. This paper focuses on the second pathway and examines the effect of one dimension of health, height and body mass index (BMI), on wages. Data comes from a longitudinal study conducted in Guatemala, a low-income country, during 1969-1977 and followed-up in 2002-2004. The estimates suggest a very non-linear relationship between height, BMI and wages; however, the evidence is stronger for males than for females. While diminishing returns are operating at higher quantiles of the conditional wage distribution, increasing returns appear at lower quantiles, implying that height and BMI might have an increasing payoff for the poorer workers.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Human Movement Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Human Movement Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

OBJECTIVES: To assess whether the Minimal Chair Height Standing (MCHS) test, could effectively identify “fallers” in a population of Canadian older adults, and to compare its effectiveness with the commonly used Sit-to-Stand (STS) test. DESIGN: Cross-sectional with counter-balanced assignment of testing order. SETTING: Community centers, independent-living and assisted-living facilities. PARTICIPANTS: 167 older adults (mean age=83.6yrs), able to walk independently. MEASUREMENTS: Participants were interviewed for medical conditions, physical activity, cognitive status (Mini Mental State Examination), mobility and independence (Independent Activities of Daily Living). Height, weight and shank length were measured. Fall history was self-reported and recorded retrospectively. The main outcome measures were MCHS and STS scores. RESULTS: MCHS performance was significantly worse for fallers (37.7cm, 95% CI: 35.5-40.0cm) than non-fallers (30.3cm, 95% CI: 28.1-32.5cm). Fallers showed significantly slower times in the STS. For participants with cardiac disease and/or stroke, MCHS scores discriminated between fallers and non-fallers (p=.001), but the STS did not (p=.233). For participants with knee replacements, MCHS discriminated between fallers and non-fallers (p=.044) but the STS did not (p=.076). CONCLUSIONS: The MCHS was found to be simple, practical and feasible for use with the elderly. The current study demonstrates its effectiveness as a fall-risk screening instrument for use with Canadian older adults. Further studies should be undertaken to determine its predictive validity. / Graduate